This invention relates in general to electrical connections and terminations and deals more particularly with improved terminations for circuit traces disposed on surfaces of panels, circuit boards and the like and particularly termination of metallic circuit traces of the etched copper variety.
Such circuit traces are suitable for termination by several standard termination techniques, including edge connection for printed circuit boards employing a stiffener or paddle board approach, soldering or welding including laser techniques, contact piercing type print terminations and pressure or spring termination designs. However, each of the aforesaid generally accepted techniques has limitations. Termination techniques which employ solder, for example, may be wholly unacceptable for many medical applications. Conventional mechanical termination techniques often prove troublesome where the device having the terminations is or may be exposed to frequent shock and/or vibration, as, for example, in automotive applications. Further, many of the standard termination techniques impose limitations upon the spacing which must be provided between adjacent terminations making these techniques generally unsuitable for use where high-density in-line termination is required.
The present invention is concerned with the aforedescribed general problems.
Accordingly, it is the general aim of the present invention to provide an improved metallic circuit trace termination highly resistive to shock and vibration and which enables maximization of termination density.